Interactive closure device and beverage container

ABSTRACT

An interactive beverage container includes a beverage container that defines an opening which may be sealed by a closure. The closure may further include circuity that is configured to transmit data to a mobile device. When the closure is in a closed configuration with the closure attached to the opening, the circuitry does not transmit data to the mobile device and when the closure is in an open configuration with the closure removed from the opening, the circuitry transmits data to the mobile device. The data may include nutritional information, marketing materials, videos, track loyalty programs, and/or provide games or contests.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/543,845, filed Aug. 19, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/648,763, filed Jul. 13, 2017, each of which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to beverage containers andcommunication between the beverage container and a customer's mobiledevice.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure include an interactive beverage container. Thebeverage container includes a bottle, a cap for sealing an opening ofthe bottle, and circuitry attached to the cap. The circuitry isconfigured to transmit data over a broadcast area. In some embodiments,when the beverage container is closed by the cap, the broadcast area ofthe circuitry is not outside the bottle. In some embodiments, when thebeverage container is open, the broadcast area extends out from the capand the data can be received by a mobile device within the broadcastarea.

In other aspects of the disclosure, a closure for a beverage containerincludes a top wall, an annular skirt extending downward from the topwall, and circuitry coupled to the top wall and configured to transmitradio signals to a mobile device. In some embodiments, the radio signalsdo not pass through the annular wall and are receivable by a mobiledevice only when the closure is not attached to a beverage container.

In other aspects of the disclosure, a method of transmitting data from abeverage container to a mobile device includes receiving powerelectromagnetically at a communication chip of a beverage containerclosure to activate the communication chip, and transmitting data fromthe communication chip only in a direction of an open end of the closurewhen the closure is not attached to a beverage container, the datareceivable by a mobile device.

The summary here is not an exhaustive listing of the novel featuresdescribed herein, and are not limiting of the claims. These and otherfeatures are described in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, likenumerals reference similar elements between the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an interactive beveragecontainer.

FIG. 2 illustrates the interactive beverage container of FIG. 1 with itscap removed along with a mobile communication device and network.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the cap of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the cap ofFIG. 2 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 with a communication chip and aseal.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the cap ofFIG. 2 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 with a communication chip embeddedwithin the cap.

FIG. 6 illustrates an interactive beverage container with itscommunication chip broadcasting in a single direction.

FIG. 7 illustrates an interactive beverage container with itscommunication chip broadcasting in two directions.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the cap ofFIG. 2 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 with a communication chip, a seal,and a shielding element.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of transmission of data from aninteractive beverage container.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of communication between a communicationchip in a cap and a customer's mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part hereof,and in which is shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments inwhich aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functionalmodifications may be made, without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Sellers of products, such as beverages, may want to communicate with amobile device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) of a customer when thecustomer purchases or enjoys the product. The present disclosuredescribes a beverage container that includes a communication chipcapable of sending data to a customer's mobile device, so that thecustomer can receive information from the seller through the chip'scommunication with the customer's device. For example, upon a beveragecontainer being opened, the chip may send data including a message (oraccess to a message) to the customer informing the customer of thebeverage's nutritional information or congratulating the customer ontheir excellent taste in choosing the beverage. The communication chipmay send content (or access to content) such as audio or video to thecustomer. Or the chip may send marketing material such as advertisementsor reward points to the mobile device of the customer.

FIG. 1 illustrates an interactive beverage container 100 in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. Beverage container 100 mayinclude a container or bottle 110 with an opening 240 (see FIG. 2) in aneck 112 of bottle 110. The size and geometry of bottle 110 may vary.Bottle 110 may hold a beverage (e.g., water, juice, soft drinks, icedtea, athletic beverages, energy drinks, etc.) for consumption. Beveragecontainer 100 may further include a closure 120 (e.g., a bottle cap) forsealing opening 240 in neck 112 of bottle 110 to maintain the integrityof the beverage within. A variety of different types of closure devicesmay be used to seal opening 240. Closure 120 of bottle 110 may furtherinclude a communication chip 130 to communicate with a mobile device ofthe customer.

FIG. 2 illustrates an interactive beverage container 100 that includesbottle 110, closure 120, communication chip 130 and a mobile device 200.Mobile device 200 may include a display screen 210 and a correspondingcommunication chip 220. Communication chip 130 of closure 120 isconfigured to communicate with corresponding communication chip 220 ofmobile device 200. Corresponding communication chips 130 and 220 maycommunicate with each other through RFID (radio frequencyidentification), NFC (near field communication), or any other suitablecommunication protocol. For example, communication chip 130 may be anNFC tag that uses a radio frequency (e.g., 13.56 MHz, which is a popularhigh-frequency standard for RFID and NFC transmissions) to communicatewith corresponding communication chip 220 of mobile device 200.

Communication chip 130 may be circuitry, such as a printed electroniccircuit that stores data to transfer to a customer. In some embodiments,the transfer of data to mobile device 200 relies of the native featuresof mobile device 200 and does not require a special application onmobile device 200 to initiate communication between communication chip130 and communication chip 220. In some embodiments, the transfer ofdata to mobile device 200 relies on an application that was previouslyinstalled on mobile device 200. Communication between chips 130 and 220simply needs close proximity to each other. For example, chips 130 and220 may be less than 20 cm apart.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may include memory forstoring data. The data may include specific types of content orinformation for accessing such content. For example, a link may bestored in the memory, such as a website URL, and the link may betransferred to corresponding communication chip 220 in mobile device200. In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may transfer additionalinstructions for mobile device 200 to open certain programs (e.g., webbrowser, special application, etc.) to execute the link. Mobile device200 may access the link on a server 260 through a network 250 (e.g., theInternet) to enable the customer to access content and display thecontent on display 210 of mobile device 200 or otherwise provide thecontent to the customer (e.g., through speakers of mobile device 200 inthe case of content with an audio component). Mobile device 200 mayaccess server 260 over network 250 by any means known and used in theart to transfer information, such as a wireless network, cellularnetwork, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other similar wireless-typeconnection.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may be passive and not haveits own power supply. Communication chip 130 may draw power fromcorresponding communication chip 220 in mobile device 200 through anelectromagnetic field and transmit data to corresponding communicationchip 220 after communication chip 130 has received power. Alternatively,communication chip 130 may be active and have its own power supply andmay constantly or periodically transmit data without drawing externalpower. In addition, active communication chip 130 may participate inpeer-to-peer communication with corresponding communication chip 220.

In some embodiments, communication between communication chips 130 and220 only occurs after the customer has purchased and opened beveragecontainer 100 by removing closure 120. This prevents the customer fromaccessing the data on communication chip 130 and corresponding contentwithout paying for the product, since payment customarily occurs beforea beverage is opened.

In some embodiments, after purchasing a beverage contained in beveragecontainer 100 and opening closure 120, communication chip 130 maytransfer data to communication chip 220 of mobile device 200 for accessto content for the benefit of the customer. For example, content mayinclude nutritional information, marketing materials, videos, rewardpoints for loyalty programs, games or contests, and the like, thusenabling beverage container 100 to interact with the customer afterpurchase.

For example, after the customer purchases beverage container 100 andopens it by removing closure 120, communication chip 130 may transfernutritional information (or access to nutritional information, e.g., ifthe information is stored on a remote server, as will be described inmore detail below) to the customer's mobile device 200. Nutritionalinformation may include serving size, servings per container, calories,total fat, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, daily percentagevalue, ingredients, and the like of the beverage. Since mobile device200 does not require a special application on the customer's mobiledevice, once communication chip 220 comes within a predetermineddistance of communication chip 130, the nutritional information simplyappears on the customer's display screen 210 (optionally after thecustomer authorizes its appearance through a prompt or otherauthorization mechanism of their mobile device 200).

In another example, after the customer purchases beverage container 100and opens closure 120, communication chip 130 may transfer marketingmaterials (or access to marketing materials) to the customer's mobiledevice 200. Marketing materials may include coupons, commercials,promotional materials, and the like. In some embodiments, the marketingmaterials are exclusive content and only available to customers whopurchase the beverage.

In another example, after the customer purchases beverage container 100and opens closure 120, communication chip 130 may transfer exclusivevideos (or access to videos) to the customer's mobile device 200. Insome embodiments, the videos are exclusive to customers who purchase thebeverage and are not freely available via the internet, social media, orother resources. Videos may include videos from musicians, athletes,artists, models, and other various spokesmen for the beverage brand.

In another example, after the customer purchases beverage container 100and opens closure 120, communication chip 130 may transfer and trackloyalty points for the customer. The customer's mobile device 200 wouldact as the customer's loyalty card and may store and track thecustomer's loyalty points, or provide access to a database that does so.The customer may compile loyalty points and convert the loyalty pointsinto various prizes or promotions.

In another example, after the customer purchases beverage container 100and opens closure 120, communication chip 130 may transfer games (oraccess to games) or enter the customer into a sweepstakes or contest.For example, the customer may be automatically entered into an exclusivesweepstakes for a prize. Prizes may include promotional items, freebeverages, tickets to a concert or athletic event, all-expense paidtrips, and the like. In some embodiments, the customer may gain accessto an exclusive game for their mobile device 200 or free access to apublically available game. In some embodiments, the customer may gainaccess to content such as characters, levels, in-game currency, orpoints for games, including for games that are publically available.

In some embodiments, the data transferred from communication chip 130 tothe customer's mobile device 200 may be regulated by the geographiclocation of communication chip 130 or communication chip 220. Forexample, mobile device 200 may include a GPS (global positioning system)receiver that enables mobile device 200 to track its geographiclocation. When communication chip 130 of closure 120 and communicationchip 220 of mobile device communicate, the data stored in the memory ofcommunication chip 130 may be tailored to the geographic location ofmobile device 200. For example, when communication chip 130 is read bycommunication chip 220, communication chip 220 may send both the datareceived from chip 130 and data relating to its own location to server260 through network 250. Server 260 may recognize the data from chip 130as being instructions to return content, and it may recognize contentthat it has access to that is associated with the location of mobiledevice 200. Server 260 can then transmit to mobile device 200 thecontent associated with the region that mobile device 200 is in.

For example, communication chip 130 may provide access to promotionalmaterials for each team in a sports league. However, the promotionalmaterial for each team is only transferred to mobile device 200 ifmobile device 200 is within a certain distance (e.g., a 200 mile radius)of the sports team or is closer to that sports team's home stadium thanto the stadium of any other sports team in the league. Also for example,a country may be divided into specific geographic regions, and contentrelating to a specific geographic region is only transferred if mobiledevice 200 is within that specific geographic region.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may include a GPS receiverthat tracks the location of closure 120. The GPS receiver ofcommunication chip 130 regulates the data that is transferred based onthe geographic location of communication chip 130, in the same way asdescribed above for chip 220.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may tailor contenttransferred to the customer's mobile device 200 based on time andlocation. Mobile device 200 may include a GPS receiver, clock, andcalendar, which track the location of mobile device 200, date, and time.The transfer of content to mobile device 200 may be tailored to thelocation, date, and time of the mobile device 200's receipt of data fromcommunication chip 130. For example, when communication chip 130 is readby communication chip 220, communication chip 220 may send both the datareceived from chip 130 and data relating to the location, date, and timeof mobile device 200 to server 260 through network 250. Server 260 mayrecognize the data from chip 130 as being instructions to return contentand it may recognize content that it has access to that is associatedwith the location, date, and time of the mobile device 200. Accordingly,the content may only be transferred from server 260 to mobile device 200at or in relation to a specific local event, such as a promotionalevent, sporting event, or concert. The time range may vary, for example,from a couple of days, to a couple of hours, to even a few minutes.

In another embodiment, promotional events may be based on a date andtime range. For example, when communication chip 130 is read bycommunication chip 220, communication chip may send both the datareceived from chip 130 and data relating to the date and time of mobiledevice 200 to server 260 through network 250. Customer may gain accessto a specific promotional event or prize based a specific date and timerange of the promotion event. For example, customer may gain access to abuy one get one free promotional event that only runs for a week. Inanother example, the customer may enter a sweepstakes at a certain timerange of the day (e.g., 10 AM-11 AM).

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may include a GPS receiver,a clock, and a calendar that tracks the location, date, and time ofclosure 120. The GPS receiver, clock, and calendar of communication chip130 may regulate the data that is transferred based on the geographiclocation of communication chip 130 and the date and time, in the sameway as described above for chip 220.

Closure 120 may be attached to bottle 110 is variety of differentmanners. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a threaded finish 230 on neck112 of bottle 110. Closure 120 may have a corresponding threaded finishwithin closure 120. The customer may remove closure 120 from bottle 110by unscrewing closure 120 from bottle 110. After filling bottle 110 withthe beverage, closure 120 may be attached and sealed to bottle 110 tocontain and maintain the integrity of the beverage. Additional types ofclosures may include crown top, snap on, friction fit, tamper-evident,and the like.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate closure 120 in accordance in someembodiments. In some embodiments, closure 120 may include a top wall 310and an annular skirt or outer wall 320 that functions as a side wall ofclosure 120. Annular skirt 320 is adapted to be secured to neck 112 ofbottle 110. The inner surface of annular skirt 320 may include threads410 (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 8) that correspond with threaded finish 230 ofbottle 110.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of closure 120 in accordancewith an embodiment taken along cross-sectional line 4-4 of FIG. 3B.Communication chip 130 may be secured to an underside 400 of top wall310. Communication chip 130 may be secured to underside 400 by ahot-melt adhesive, film laminate, foam pouch, and the like.Communication chip 130 may also be attached to underside 400 of closure120 by heat sealing, RF (radio-frequency) welding, mechanicalattachments, and the like. Communication chip 130 may be sealed tounderside 400 of closure 120 by a closure liner 420 within closure 120.Liner 420 may be fabricated from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) orother suitable material to seal communication chip 130 to underside 400of closure to prevent communication chip 130 from coming in contact withthe beverage in bottle 110 in order to maintain the integrity of thebeverage and chip 130.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of closure 120 in accordancewith an embodiment taken along cross-sectional line 4-4 of FIG. 3B.Communication chip 130 may be embedded within closure 120. In someembodiments, communication chip 130 may be embedded within top wall 310of closure 120. In some embodiments, communication chip 130 may beembedded during the molding process of closure 120. In some embodiments,communication chip 130 may be embedded within annular skirt 320 ofclosure 120. Since communication chip 130 is embedded and sealed withinclosure 120, contact between communication chip 130 and the beveragewithin bottle 110 is prevented.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 is only able to communicatewith corresponding communication chip 220 of mobile device 200 afterclosure 120 has been removed from bottle 110. In some embodiments,communication chip 130 only transmits a signal in a single direction(e.g., communication chip does not transmit in a direction 180 degreesfrom a direction in which it does transmit, for example, it transmitsdownward but not upward, or vice versa). For example, communication chip130 may be an NFC tag that only transmits a signal in a singledirection. FIG. 6 illustrates communication chip 130 transmitting asignal 600 in a single direction that is normal to underside 400 ofclosure 120. Signal 600 is transmitted toward the beverage within bottle110. In order to minimize access to signal 600 before purchasing thebeverage, signal 600 is only transmitted a short distance d, less thanthe height h of bottle 110. In some embodiments, distance d is less than20 cm.

In order to further minimize access to signal 600, signal 600's lateralextents may be constrained to stay within side walls of bottle 110(e.g., by constraining a transmission angle of signal 600 or by blockingportions of signal 600, as described in more detail below). Since signal600 only travels narrowly and over a short distance, the customer'smobile device 200 is unable to receive signal 600 when closure 120 isattached to bottle 110, since the broadcast area of signal 600 is withinbottle 110. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the customer's mobile device 200is able to access the content on communication chip 130 only after thecustomer removes closure 120 from bottle 110 and directs underside 400towards mobile device 200.

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 does not a have a powersupply and relies on receiving power to transmit signal 600 from mobiledevice 200. In some embodiments, communication chip 130 is able toreceive power from mobile device 200 from any direction; however,communication chip 130 only transmits signal 600 in a single directionthat is normal to underside 400 of closure 120. In some embodimentscommunication chip 130 is only able to receive power from mobile device200 when communication ship 220 is within broadcast area of signal 600,or from a single direction (e.g., from the same direction thatcommunication chip 130 can transmit out from closure 120).

In some embodiments, communication chip 130 is able to transfer data inmultiple (e.g., two) directions. FIG. 7 illustrates communication chip130 transmitting signals 600 and 700 in two separate directions. Similarto FIG. 6, signal 600 is transmitted in a direction normal to underside400 of closure 120. Communication chip 130 is also configured totransmit signal 700 in a separate direction away from closure 120 andbottle 110. These two different signals may transfer different types ofdata to the customer. In some embodiments, each of signal 600 and signal700 is transmitted by a separate communication chip 130.

In some embodiments, signal 700 transfers data to the customer to accesscontent before the customer purchases the beverage or removes theclosure 120. This data is not exclusive to the purchase of the beverageand may enable the customer to access content such as promotionalmaterials, commercials, and/or coupons on their mobile device 200 toentice the customer to purchase the beverage. In some embodiments,communication chip 130 may inform the customer the number of loyaltypoints, how many loyalty points they may receive if they purchase thebeverage, and how many loyalty points they lack to receive a certainprize.

In some embodiments, signal 600 in FIG. 7 only transfers data to thecustomer after the customer has purchased the beverage. Similar to thesignal 600 in FIG. 6, the data transferred by signal 600 provides accessto exclusive content through network 250 for a customer who haspurchased the beverage.

In some embodiments, the direction of signal 600 from communication chip130 may be limited in other ways. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates across-sectional view of closure 120 in accordance with an embodimenttaken along cross-sectional line 4-4 of FIG. 3B. Similar to FIG. 4,closure 120 includes communication chip 130 secured to underside 400 ofclosure 120. Communication chip 130 is sealed within closure by liner420. In some embodiments, closure 120 may further include a shieldingelement 800 that blocks, absorbs, or refracts signals 610 ofcommunication chip 130 in all directions except in a direction normal tounderside 400 of closure 120, toward the open end of closure 120 andinto bottle 110 when closure 120 is attached to bottle 110. Shieldingelement 800 may be embedded within top wall 310 and annular skirt 320and may circumferentially surround communication chip 130.

In some embodiments, shielding element 800 may be attached to the innerwall and underside 400 of closure 120 with communication chip 130attached to the shielding element 800. Liner 420 may seal communicationchip 130 to prevent contact of shielding element 800 with the beveragein bottle 110. In some embodiments, shielding element 800 may encompassthe outer surface of closure 120. In some embodiments, shielding element800 and communication chip 130 may both be embedded within closure 120.

Shielding element 800 may be an electrically conducting metal, such asaluminum, copper, and the like, that can reflect, absorb, or refractsignals 610 transmitted by communication chip 130.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart transmission of data from communicationchip 130 for communicating with corresponding communication chip 220 ofmobile device 200. In S910, communication chip 130 is manufactured.Communication chip 130 may be a printed electronic circuit and mayinclude a chip, an antenna, and an inlay. The memory of communicationchip 130 may range from 64 bytes to 8 kilobytes. Communication chip 130may be programmed with data at the time of manufacture, or communicationchip 130 may be rewritable and reprogrammable any time aftermanufacturing. Accordingly, the data on communication chip 130 may bealtered at any convenient point during the preparation of beveragecontainer 100.

In S920, closure 120 is manufactured and includes communication chip130. Closure 120 may be fabricated through various manufacturingprocesses, such as injection molding, compression molding, and the like.As discussed previously, communication chip 130 may be embedded withinclosure 120 or may be attached to underside 400 of closure.

In S930, after bottle 110 is filled with the beverage, closure 120 isattached and sealed to bottle 110 to preserve the integrity of thebeverage within beverage bottle 110. When closure 120 is sealed, or in aclosed configured with closure 120 attached to bottle 110, communicationchip 130 does not communicate with corresponding communication chip 220of mobile device 200.

In S940, the customer may purchase the beverage for consumption. In someembodiments, the beverage may be given away as a promotional item andnot sold to the customer. In any case, closure 120 may be removed frombottle 110 to open bottle 110.

In S950, once closure 120 is removed from bottle 110 or beveragecontainer 100 in an open configuration, communication chip 130 maytransmit data to corresponding communication chip 220 of mobile device200 if mobile device 200 is within a predetermined distance, such as,for example, 10 cm or 20 cm. As discussed previously, communication chip130 may transmit data or provide access to content on server 260 throughnetwork 250 to mobile device 200.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of how communication chip 130 interactswith mobile device 200. In some embodiments, communication chip 130 is apassive chip and receives power over an electromagnetic field. In S1010,communication chip 130 receives power from a mobile device 200 whenpower is transmitted over the electromagnetic field to provide power tocommunication chip 130. Power may only be transmitted to communicationchip 130 if mobile device 200 is within a predetermined distance, suchas, for example, 10 cm or 20 cm.

In S1020, once communication chip 130 receives power, communication chip130 transmits data to corresponding communication chip 220. Data may betransferred over a radio frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, for example. Asdescribed previously, data is transferred after customer has removedclosure 120 from bottle 110.

In S1030, mobile device 200 accesses content from server 260 throughnetwork 250 based on data received from communication chip 130. Mobiledevice 200 recognizes the data as instructions to access content fromserver 260 through network 250. Mobile device may access network 250through a wireless network, cellular network, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or anyother similar wireless-type connection.

In some embodiments, the data transferred from communication chip 130 tomobile device 200 is itself content that can be output to the customerthrough mobile device 200. In such embodiments S1030 may be omitted. Itshould be understood that all embodiments described herein may beadapted so that the content accessed by mobile device 200 directly fromcommunication chip 130 or through network 250 based on data receivedfrom communication chip 130. The decision as to which option to use maydepend on any relevant consideration, such as, for example, the size ofthe data (e.g., if it is too much to economically fit in a memory ofcommunication chip 130), availability of wireless networks, or thedesired ability to monitor or track sales or access of content.

In S1040, mobile device 200 has access to the content and the content isavailable to the customer. Content may be outputted by mobile device 200to the customer (e.g., display 210, speaker, etc.).

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notthe Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpretthe claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or morebut not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention ascontemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit thepresent invention and the appended claims in any way.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applyingknowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt forvarious applications such specific embodiments, without undueexperimentation, without departing from the general concept of thepresent invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications areintended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of thedisclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presentedherein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, suchthat the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is tobe interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings andguidance.

The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited byany of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be definedonly in accordance with the claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interactive beverage container, comprising: abottle; and a cap for closing the bottle, the cap removably coupled tothe bottle and comprising a communication chip, wherein thecommunication chip is configured to transmit a first signal and a secondsignal, the first signal being readable only when the cap is removedfrom the bottle, and the second signal being readable when the cap iscoupled to the bottle.
 2. The interactive beverage container of claim 1,further comprising a shielding element that prevents transmission of thefirst signal through the cap.
 3. The interactive beverage container ofclaim 1, wherein the first signal is different from the second signal.4. The interactive beverage container of claim 1, wherein the firstsignal is transmitted in a first direction, and wherein the secondsignal is transmitted in a second direction that is different from thefirst direction.
 5. The interactive beverage container of claim 1,wherein the cap is a tamper-evident cap.
 6. The interactive beveragecontainer of claim 5, wherein the cap comprises an annular skirt.
 7. Theinteractive beverage container of claim 6, wherein the annular skirtcomprises a threaded finish configured to engage with a correspondingthreaded finish on the neck portion.
 8. The interactive beveragecontainer of claim 7, wherein the cap has a closed configuration and anopened configuration, and wherein the beverage container is sealed whenthe cap is in the closed configuration.
 9. The interactive beveragecontainer of claim 8, wherein the communication chip is an NFC tag. 10.The interactive beverage container of claim 1, wherein the communicationchip is coupled to a top wall of the cap.
 11. The interactive beveragecontainer of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises an annular skirt havinga first threaded finish configured to engage with a second threadedfinish on a neck portion of the beverage container when the cap is in aclosed configuration.
 12. The interactive beverage container of claim 1,wherein the first signal comprises at least one of reward points,nutritional information, or marketing materials.
 13. An interactivebeverage container, comprising: a closure, the closure comprisingcircuitry configured to transmit first data and second data, wherein theclosure is configured to seal the beverage container in a closedconfiguration, wherein the first data transmitted by the circuitry isreceivable by a mobile device only when the closure is in an openconfiguration, wherein the second data transmitted by the circuitry isreceivable by the mobile device when the closure is in a closedconfiguration, and wherein the first or second data comprises at leastone of rewards points, nutritional information, marketing materials, ora link to information stored on a remote server.
 14. The container ofclaim 13, wherein the first data is reward points, and wherein themobile device is configured to provide access to a database that storesand tracks the rewards points.
 15. The container of claim 13, whereinthe first or second data comprises a link to information stored on aremote server.
 16. The container of claim 15, wherein the informationstored on a remote server comprises marketing materials.
 17. Thecontainer of claim 16, wherein the marketing materials comprise at leastone of coupons, commercials, or promotional materials.
 18. The containerof claim 13, further comprising: a top wall; and an annular skirtconfigured to engage with the beverage container.
 19. The container ofclaim 13, wherein the circuitry is configured to receive power from themobile device.